IDW's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Is a Messy Return for the Beloved Series
- WRITER
- Scott Tipton, David Tipton
- Artist
- Greg Scott
- Letterer
- Neil Uyetake
- Cover Artist
- J.K. Woodward, Ricardo Drumond
- Publisher
- IDW Publishing
- Price
- 3.99
- Release Date
- 2020-07-15
- Colorist
- Felipe Sobreiro
One of the most criminally underrated Star Trek series across the franchise's lengthy run is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Running for seven seasons from 1993 to 1999, the Next Generation spinoff took place on an eponymous space station by a wormhole leading to regions of space controlled by the fearsome Dominion, a collective of militaristic spacefaring civilizations.
Filled with more wartime violence and intrigue than its counterparts, Deep Space Nine was lauded for its scope, darker tone and greater emphasis on interpersonal relationships between the characters on board the station. IDW Publishing has launched the first Deep Space Nine comic in a decade, subtitled Too Long a Sacrifice, bringing fans right back to station and its familiar, fan-favorite characters. While the writing and characterizations are spot-on, the artwork may prove distracting to more discerning readers returning to the sci-fi franchise.
During the height of the galaxy-consuming Dominion War that defined the series for its second half, Too Long a Sacrifice takes place sometime before the conclusion of the show's sixth season, given the characters present. Enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet on the station, Doctor Julian Bashir and Elim Garak are caught in a series of explosive terrorist attacks that rock the station. With tension running high and suspects everywhere, Constable Odo launches an extensive investigation to find out who is responsible before the attacks strike again and claim more lives.
Writers Scott and David Tipton have prolific history penning Star Trek adventures, including Star Trek comics. With that in mind, they have a deep understanding of the lore, overarching continuity and each of the individual characters' voices.
Odo, who stands front and center in Too Long a Sacrifice, sounds just as gruff and non-nonsense as he had portrayed by the late Rene Auberjonois had on the television series. Bashir is as contemplative as he ever was in his quieter moments, especially when facing the horrific loss of life launching the comic story while Garak is just as mysterious and potentially untrustworthy. Not every character appears or plays a major role in this opening issue but, given the tighter narrative focus, that is certainly to be expected.
Where the opening issue falls a bit flat, unfortunately, is in its artwork -- more specifically in the rendering of classic characters for the comic book format. Working with colorist Felipe Sobreiro, artist Greg Scott brings a moodier, more atmospheric approach to the familiar Starfleet space station, befitting the murder mystery premise.
However, character work is inconsistent, especially noticeable when attempting to work against expectations how characters should look in comparison to the live-action counterparts. Facial designs and hairstyles visibly change over the course of a single sequence for characters like Bashir and some action-based panels can come off as a bit stilted and awkward.
After more than 20 years off the air, it's always a pleasure to see the familiar characters from Deep Space Nine back together for new adventures. Scott and David Tipton capture the darker tone and dueling personalities of the titular space station well, with Odo particularly shining through the rest of the cast.
However, the franchise's return in comic book form is hampered by some uneven artwork, with character work distractingly rendered while action scenes prove more anemic than rousing. With a murder mystery set on the station, Greg Scott brings the noir-tinged atmosphere but hopefully the level of visual consistency will even out as the new series continues.